


Healing a Broken Heart

by LuvBusters



Category: Real Ghostbusters
Genre: Angst/Comfort, Death, Depression, F/M, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-14
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-07-12 05:49:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15988940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuvBusters/pseuds/LuvBusters
Summary: The guys help Janine cope with a series of personal tragedies.





	1. Bad News

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story I’m writing for therapeutic purposes; hopefully, it also will come across as a good drama.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janine faces a very personal tragedy.

It’s mid October and the Ghostbusters have had a busy week. Fortunately, the rest of this day is free, unless an emergency call comes in.

Janine is on edge. She’s been on edge for the past two months. Normally, she stays in a constant state of manageable anxiety, worrying for her guys’ safety when they go on busts. This time, however, it’s personal. Her father, who’s health has been steadily declining over the previous years, has taken a turn for the worse. He has been in and out of the ER several times during the past two weeks for heart related problems. He is currently at home but Janine is worried that another problem is coming. The guys tried to make her take time off from work, but she insisted to stay. Keeping busy is how she deals with stress.

As Ecto-1 pulled into the garage, Janine was hanging up the phone, holding the other hand up to her head. She was biting her bottom lip, which the guys knew by now was a sure sign something was wrong. 

Egon got out of the car and ran to her. They have been dating seriously for the past six months and he had become even more protective of her.

“Janine! Whats wrong?!” Egon asked, gently placing one hand on Janine’s shoulder, and took her hand with the other.

Janine struggled to keep her voice steady, her eyes tearing up. “My dad is being taken to the ER again,” she said. “He’s convulsing, acting confused, fighting the paramedics.”

“Who was that on the phone?” Ray asked.

“My sister Doris,” Janine answered.

Egon said, “Give me your keys. I’ll drive you.”

******************  
Four hours later, the phone at the Firehouse rang. It was the back line. 

“Hello?” Peter answered. Only a few people knew the number to the back line.

“Peter, it’s Egon. I’m with Janine at her apartment. I’m going to stay with her tonight.”

“How’s her dad?” Peter asked.

“He’s been admitted. He has sepsis, infection in his bloodstream. That caused the convulsions and fighting. He has a urinary infection also. He’s been placed on IV antibiotics and pain medication. It will take a few days before any improvement will be seen. He also has gallstones.”

“Wow! When are they gonna do surgery?” Peter asked.

“They’re not,” Egon replied. “The Doctor was very blunt; he wouldn’t make it off the OR table if they operated.”

Peter dropped his head. “His heart won’t take it?” He asked. 

“No, it wouldn’t,” Egon replied. 

“So, He’s just gonna have to live with it?” Peter asked. 

“I’m afraid so,” Egon answered. “Janine didn’t take it well. I had to buy some over the counter sleep aids. She finally drifted off a few minutes ago.”

“She’s very close to her family,” Peter said. “She’s not going to handle it well when the time comes.”

“That’s what worries me,” Egon said sadly.

Another three months passed. Janine’s dad had been doing fairly well, an occasional infection would crop up but nothing major. Then, one morning at the Firehouse, the guys were scattered in different places: Winston was waxing Ecto-1; Ray was going through his comic collection; Peter was “reading” the latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, And Egon was working on a trap on the side of Janine’s desk. Janine was finishing up some invoices. The phone rang.

“Ghostbusters...,” Janine answered. Her smile immediately faded. Egon put down the ghost trap. The others slowly gathered around the desk.

“Uh-huh...ok...yeah...I will..bye,” said Janine.

As she hung up the phone, the guys could see her hands shaking. 

“Janine?” Egon asked worriedly. 

“That was Ma,” Janine said. “My dad is being taken to the hospital; he’s throwing up, acting crazy again.”

Egon grabbed her arm. “Let’s go,” he said. 

Egon and Janine rushed out and headed to the hospital. Egon called the Firehouse after two hours. Ray answered.

“How is he?” Ray asked.

“He has pancreatitis,” Egon said. “They still don’t want to do surgery for the gallstones. But his heart problems are making his recovery more difficult. They’re going to be transferring him to another facility in upstate New York.”

********************  
It had been nearly two weeks since Janine’s dad had been transferred to another hospital. Her mother had stayed with him the entire time. Egon and Janine along with her sister Doris and her husband had gone up on the weekends to visit. At their last visit, the doctors had informed them that her dad would likely not make it out of his coma. He had slipped into it shortly after the transfer. He had been on life support and pain medications. His kidneys had started to shut down. There was nothing else they could do. 

The family decided to take him off of life support and medications. Janine and her sister said their tearful good-byes to him, then gave their mother some privacy. Janine’s mother decided to stay until the last moment came, but she insisted that Egon and her son in law take Janine and her sister home. She would call when it happened. But it could be days and she didn’t want them there. They should be at home or at work.

Reluctantly, they agreed. 

Two days later, the phone at the Firehouse rang. It was the back line; Janine hesitated just a moment before answering. 

Peter, who was sitting on the couch across from Janine’s desk reading the paper, looked up. He saw Janine’s face pale and knew what had happened.

“EGON!” He yelled.

In seconds, Egon, Ray and Winston were next to Peter at Janine’s desk. Janine hung up the phone and looked at Egon, tears streaming down her face. 

“He’s gone,” she whispered. “Daddy’s gone.”

Egon instantly pulled her into a tight embrace, allowing her to cry heavily. The others crowded around in a group hug in an effort to ease her suffering. 

As Janine calmed down, Egon said, “Let’s get your things and head up there.”

“We’ll all go,” Peter said. 

Ray and Winston agreed. Within minutes, they had all piled into Ecto-1 and headed towards the hospital.


	2. Family Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guys help Janine through her dad’s passing.

Friends and family were gathering at Janine’s mom’s home to pay their respect and bring food.

Egon had stayed with Janine since her dad passed the day before. Ray and Winston stopped by with two huge trays of cold cuts and fruit. Peter and Dana stopped by as well with a bag of groceries (random breakfast items: coffee, eggs, orange juice). 

Janine and her family were deeply touched by everything the guys had done. It was times like these that reminded Janine how much a part of the family they really were. 

******************  
The day of the funeral had arrived. Janine’s mother Denise pulled Egon aside privately while Janine was in another room. 

“Egon,” she said. “Can you do me a favor?”

“Of course,” Egon replied.

“Stay close to Jay. She was his “little girl” and will probably not take this well.”

“And Janine has told me to watch over you,” Egon said with a warm smile. “Seems I’ve got my hands full.”

Denise smiled. “She’s always trying to be mother hen to everybody.” 

Egon chuckled and said, “Yes, she does the same thing with us.”

************  
After the funeral, Denise encouraged Janine to go back to the Firehouse and spend time with the guys. She had spent the past several days with her mother and needed a break. Janine had held up well so far but Egon expected a melt down soon. Janine agreed to go with Egon back to the Firehouse. 

They gathered at the kitchen table, Dana preparing coffee for everyone. Janine had been quiet the entire time, which frankly, unnerved everyone else. She sat at the table, staring blankly ahead. 

Egon brought Janine a cup of coffee and sat down beside her. The others were sitting at the table, quietly discussing other issues. 

Janine broke the silence. “You guys can bring him back,” she said. 

They all stopped talking and looked at each other, exchanging worried looks. 

“What do you mean, Janine?” Egon asked. 

Janine looked at him with a stern look on her face. “You guys can bring him back!” she repeated, a little more forcefully.

Peter took her hand and said, “Janine, you know we can’t do that.”

Janine jumped up and shouted, “You bust ghosts for a living! Why can’t you cross my dad back over?!” 

Ray said gently, “ Janine, the ghosts we bust are already dead. And the times we’ve helped them cross over, it’s because their business here is finished and they’re ready to go. Your dad’s business was finished, Janine. It’s not meant for him to come back.” 

Janine walked over towards the kitchen counter; Egon stayed close behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. Suddenly, Janine slumped over and sobbed out loud. Egon caught her and pulled her to his chest, holding her from behind.

As Janine calmed down, Egon walked her over to the couch in the rec room. Ray handed her some tissues. 

“Thanks,” Janine said with a small smile. 

She then looked at the others as they gathered around. 

“I’m really sorry about that. I know better than to say stuff like that,” Janine apologized.

“No need to apologize,” Peter said. “You’ve been through a traumatic experience. And I’m sorry to say it’s gonna take some time to adjust.”

“Yeah, in some ways, you never really do,” Ray said gently. 

Janine’s eyes widened. “Oh gosh, Ray. I’m sorry!” She said, realizing Ray had lost both parents when he was a child. 

“It’s ok, Janine,” Ray said with a genuine smile. “Overall, you just learn to live with it. Then one day, you realize you don’t mind it so much.”

Janine reached over and squeezed his hand. “Thank you Ray,” she whispered.

“Just don’t forget that you still have to live,” Winston said. 

Janine nodded. 

They ordered pizzas and kept the conversations light hearted with laughter. Janine’s mood lightened, making Egon feel more at ease. He knew it would take time, but he felt confident that Janine would be ok.


	3. Problem on the Horizon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Egon and the guys are becoming even more concerned about Janine’s behavior.

It’s been nearly two months since Janine’s father passed away. Her initial reaction was hard to deal with, but Peter thought, given enough time, she would recover. Egon had practically moved in with her; he stayed with Janine at her apartment every night for the first two weeks. Their relationship had grown to a very serious one by that point anyway. But Janine assured him after two weeks that she was ok and he could go back to staying at the Firehouse. She and Egon would resume their regular arrangement of him spending weekends at her place if they didn’t have any calls to deal with.

But slowly, over the previous days, the guys have started to notice small changes in Janine’s behavior that signaled a problem.

Peter first noticed it. Janine had slowly stopped her verbal sparring with him. He had made several attempts that week to engage her wit and smartass remarks, but she would just smile and let it go. Sometimes Peter wasn’t even sure if she heard his snarky comments.

Ray and Winston had both noticed Janine’s eating habits had changed. She was barely seen eating anything substantial for lunch. The most they had seen her eat was a banana and a cup of yogurt. 

Egon noticed that she was distancing herself, not only from him but all of them. She would often work through lunch or eat alone. She insisted it was because she needed to catch up on work or just wanted some quiet time to read.

They finally decided to have a private meeting while Janine was running errands during her lunch break.

Peter started the conversation. “Ok, Ray, Winston: you two say Janine’s not eating enough?”

Ray nodded. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” Winston asked. “She’s starting to look frail and dangerously thin.”

Peter nodded, then looked at Egon. “Spengs? Any thoughts?”

Egon adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. “She seems to be distancing herself,” he said. “She declines going out on dates because she says she needs to catch up on work. She’s even insisted that i stay here at the Firehouse more on the weekends instead of with her. She says she feels guilty monopolizing my time every weekend, and that she doesn’t want me to give up on my scientific projects.”

Peter frowned, then asked, “When’s the last time you two....you know...?”

“PETER!” Ray and Winston both yelled in unison.

“I’m being completely serious!” Peter insisted, with a straight face. For once, he wasn’t fooling around.

Egon blushed, adjusted his glasses again, then said, “three weeks, two days, twelve hours..”

“Ok, Ok, we get the point,” Peter said, holding his hands up defensively.

“Well, That explains why you’ve been doing laundry more often,” Winston said with a smirk.

Peter grinned, Ray slipped out a short laugh.

Then Peter got serious again. “She’s slipping into depression, and we’ve gotta get her out of it.”

“How?” Egon asked.

“Make her go out,” Peter suggested. “Make her an offer she can’t refuse. Then, get her to open up.”

“That’s not going to be easy,” Egon pointed out.

“Then let me talk to her,” Peter said. “She’s hurting still and needs to release it.”

Egon nodded, “but Peter, you know she’s going to deny something is wrong.”

“You let me handle that,” Peter said confidently, with a wink.

Janine returned thirty minutes later. She had two grocery bags in her arms. The errand she had to run included going to the store to stock the guys up on their snacks. 

She sat the bags down on the kitchen table and started to divvy up the junk food. 

“Ok,” Janine said, “Ray, I’ve got your box of honey buns; Winston, I’ve got your oatmeal cookies; Egon, here’s your box of Twinkie’s; and Dr. V, here’s your Cheetos.”

The guys took their respective snacks, thanked Janine, and went their separate ways. Egon headed to the lab, Ray and Winston headed to the garage to clean up Ecto-1.

Peter casually walked over to Janine. “Red, I believe we need a few minutes alone.”

Janine gave Peter an odd, skeptical look. She straightened up, folding her arms across her chest. “Exactly what do you have in mind?” She had a look on her face that told Peter he’d better explain and fast.

“Oh, don’t worry, Big J. It’s NOTHING like THAT,” he said with a grin. “Spengs is the only one who likes you that way.”

“What a relief,” Janine said, visibly relaxing.

Peter looked at Janine carefully, needing to choose his words wisely. “Let’s go sit down on the couch in the rec room.”

Janine planted her feet where she stood. “No way, Dr. V! Whatever it is, you tell me right here!” She pointed to the floor where she stood.

Peter sighed but gave in. “Fine. Right here.”

He walked up to Janine, looking at her very seriously. He stuck his hands in his pants pockets, trying to keep it casual.

“We’re all worried about you, Janine,” he began. 

Janine shifted her weight and rolled her eyes. She kept her arms crossed.

“Don’t give me that look,” Peter said sternly. “What’s up? You can talk to me.”

“Enough with the pyscho babble bullshit!” Janine said, her voice slightly rising.

Peter looked offended. “It’s not bullshit! I just wanna know if you’re feeling ok? It’s obvious you haven’t been eating!”

He regretted being so blunt but Janine tends to bring out his impatient side. 

Janine’s facial expression changed to a more saddened look. “I’m eating,” she said in a small voice.

Peter walked to her, taking her hands in his.

“Not enough, Honey,” Peter said tenderly.

The gentleness in his voice made Janine tear up. She bit her bottom lip.

“I can’t eat much without getting nauseous. I just...don’t want to.”

“Egon misses you,” Peter whispered. “He misses not staying with you at your place. He misses date night, he so badly wants to spend time with you.”

Janine looked at Peter through her tears. “I don’t want him to see me like this,” Janine said. 

“Like what? You look alright,” said Peter, confused.

“I’m a train wreck, Peter,” Janine said shakily.

“You’re still grieving, Janine. You’ve gotta allow yourself time.”

“How much time?! It’s been two months!”

“There’s no set time frame; everybody’s different,” Peter reassured Janine.

Janine looked at Peter; he could tell she had something on her mind. 

“Tell me,” Peter encouraged her.

Janine blushed, her face becoming almost as red as her hair. 

“I...I...well....me...and...,” she stuttered.

Peter smiled. “This is usually Spengs’ problem.”

Janine swallowed, then began again. “I haven’t let Egon stay with me on the weekends because...I...can’t..well...I...”

“Your sex drive is shot to hell?” Peter guessed.

Janine looked down at the floor, wringing her hands together.

Peter stepped closer to her, taking her hands in his. “First of all, it’s ok. It’s difficult to keep things going during times like this. Second, and most important, you know Egon doesn’t just have sex on his mind. He misses being with you, spending quality time with you. The sex is just a perk.”

“I know but I just don’t want to be around anybody,” Janine admitted. “I just wanna stay in bed and sleep my life away.”

“You’re depressed,” Peter said. “And you need to be around people now more than ever. If you stay cooped up alone for too long, you forget to live your own life. And you’ve got lots to live for.”

Janine nodded, pulling her hands loose to wipe her tears. “Thanks, Peter.”

“Any time,” he replied, pulling her in for a hug. 

Janine went downstairs to her desk. Peter caught Egon’s attention. He gave Egon a wink and a thumb’s up signal. Egon just smiled.

*****************  
The weekend came finally. As Janine was preparing to leave for the day, she saw Egon coming up from his daily check of the containment unit. 

She gave him a smile as bright as the sun. Egon hadn’t seen that in a long time. He smiled back, walking over to her. 

“Would you be interested in maybe...?” Janine started to ask. 

Egon gave her a hug, and whispered, “I thought you’d never ask.” He then gave her a kiss on the temple. 

“I’ll wait while you pack,” Janine said with a seductive smile.

Egon had never ran so fast in his life.


	4. Another Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another month since Janine’s father passed. Now Janine must face yet another tragic situation.

It had been another month; Janine had made a lot of progress in getting past her father’s death. She had slowly started to get her appetite back. She was sleeping a little better although occasionally she would need to take an over the counter sleep aid. But best of all, she was spending more time with the guys; she and Egon had resumed dating as well as spending weekends together. 

New York was on the edge of Spring; the weather had finally broke and the days were becoming more sunny. 

The guys were upstairs eating lunch.

“You’d better hurry it up, Big J!” Peter yelled. “The food is gonna be gone by the time you get up here!”

“I’m coming!” Janine yelled back. 

She was just getting ready to head upstairs when the phone rang.

“Damnit!” Janine swore. “Ghostbusters..,” she was interrupted by the caller on the other end.

“Jay, it’s me,” the voice said.

“Doris?!” Janine replied.

“Yeah, you got a minute?” her sister asked.

“Yeah, I’m just headed for lunch.”

“Are the guys there?”

“Yeah,” Janine answered, worriedly.

“Something else has happened,” Doris said slowly.

“Is Ma ok?!” Janine shouted.

“Ma’s fine. It’s her brother, Martin. He had a heart attack.”

Janine instantly teared up. “Is he....?”

“He’s gone, Jay.”

Janine talked a few more minutes with her sister, getting the details of where and when the family was getting together. Janine had been close to her uncle as well. Her entire family was a very tight knit group. This news shook her to her already weakened soul.

As she hung up the phone, she sat down heavily in her desk chair, almost passing out. She sobbed out loudly, alarming the guys upstairs.

They all rushed down to Janine’s desk, Egon leading the way. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, they saw Janine slumped over her desk, breathing heavily.

“JANINE!” Egon screamed. 

As he pulled Janine into a straightened position, she was struggling to catch her breath, dark streaks of mascara running down her face from where she had been crying.

Egon hugged her to him, “Shhh, calm down; breathe slowly..in..out..in...out,” he whispered.

Janine slowly calmed down enough to tell them what had happened. Egon walked her to the rec room upstairs. Peter, Ray and Winston followed slowly a few steps behind. 

“How much more can she take?” Ray whispered to Peter and Winston.

“She’s strong,” Winston said.

“I don’t know,” Peter said. “She’s still trying to get past her dad’s death; I’m not sure she’s ready for this too, although she doesn’t have a choice.”

“Her family is very close,” Ray pointed out. 

“She might lose all the progress she’s made,” Winston said.

“Maybe Spengs can hold her together,” Peter said.

******************

The following weeks were tough. Janine was now struggling to deal with not only her father’s death but now, also her uncle’s. True, it was a bit easier for her to deal with her uncle’s but it was still taking its toll on her. 

The guys watched Janine like hawks. Any time she got up to take a break, at least one of them kept an eye on her from a distance. Egon was especially protective of her. 

Finally, Janine snapped during her mid morning break. She was headed to the kitchen when she noticed Egon had quietly come out of the lab and was following her.

“Do you really think I don’t know what you guys are doing?!” She said while glaring at Egon. “You all have been stalking me, watching me, creeping around here like super spies or some shit!”

“We’re just trying to make sure you’re ok,” Egon said a bit defensively. 

“I’m FINE!” Janine shouted. “I don’t need a bunch of babysitters to hold my fucking hand 24/7!”

Egon took a few steps back, giving Janine space. She was starting to pace back and forth like a caged animal. 

“I’m sorry,” Egon apologized. Obviously hurt and offended, he turned and headed back towards the lab. 

Janine knew she had hurt his feelings but couldn’t find it in herself to care at the moment. She refused to cry. She got another cup of coffee and returned to her desk.

The rest of the day was quiet. No calls had come in, Egon had locked himself up in the lab; Ray was doing the laundry; Winston was giving Ecto a tune up; and Peter had went to the bunk room for a nap.

Finally, 5:00 pm came. Janine was more than ready to get her Friday night started; no plans except a quiet evening at her apartment. She had thought Egon would have joined her, but he was obviously lost in his lab project. 

Janine said her good bye to Winston since he was the only one around.

“Have a good weekend; I’ll see ya Monday,” Janine said.

“Take it easy, Janine,” Winston waved to her.

Janine left without saying a word to Egon. She cried the whole way home.

***********************  
Monday arrived. The guys were surprised that Egon had stayed at the Firehouse the entire time. He briefly told Peter that Janine had made it obvious that she didn’t want their help so he had backed off. Peter could tell that Egon was upset about it.

“Why don’t you at least call her?” Peter asked.

Egon shook his head. “She’ll be in soon. We’ll talk then.”

It was 9:15 am and Janine hadn’t called or showed. The guys were getting worried.

“It’s not like Janine to not call,” Ray said worriedly.

Egon picked up the phone to call Janine’s apartment; no answer. 

“I’m going over there,” Egon said. “Something isn’t right.”

“We’ll all go,” said Winston.

They arrived soon after at Janine’s place. She had given Egon a key so he used it to let them in. 

“Janine,” said Peter in a sing song voice.

They looked in the living room and kitchen. There was no sign that Janine had been up and fixed breakfast. 

Egon went to the bedroom. What he saw wrenched his heart. 

“JANINE!” He shouted. 

As the others ran to the bedroom, they found Egon sitting on Janine’s bed holding her in his arms. She was unconscious; the empty box of sleeping pills was lying on the nightstand by her bed. 

“I’ll call 9-1-1,” Winston said. 

Egon was crying, rocking Janine’s body back and forth, willing her to wake up. 

Peter stepped over to her, checking her neck for a pulse. He finally found it, but it was weak. 

He turned to Ray. “She’s alive but her pulse is weak,” he whispered. 

Tears ran down Ray’s cheeks. 

Winston returned. “The ambulance will be here any minute,” he said. 

The three Busters grouped around Egon and Janine, waiting for help to arrive.


	5. Getting Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janine finally seeks help from Peter and the guys for her emotional problems.

Winston went downstairs to show the paramedics where to go when they arrive. Ray stood by the foot of the bed, hoping Janine would wake up. Peter was sitting on the other side of Egon, who was on the bed holding her. 

Just then, Janine’s eyes started to flutter, her eyes slowly opening. As she struggled to focus without her glasses, she was surprised to see everyone there. 

“Egon? Peter? Ray?” She said groggily. “What are you doing here?”

Egon, too relieved to speak at the moment, just smiled. 

Peter explained, “When you didn’t show at work this morning, we freaked out and came over. But we found you lying here on the bed unconscious!”

Janine sat up, Egon’s arms still tightly around her. “You didn’t have to do that. I guess I overslept?”

Peter went ballistic. “What the HELL do you MEAN, you OVERSLEPT?! You damn near KILLED yourself!!”

He picked up the empty box of sleeping pills and shook it at her. 

“Yeah, the paramedics are on the way,” Ray said.

Janine’s face paled dramatically, a look of pure terror forming.

“Please, tell them I’m not going to the hospital!!” Janine pleaded. 

“And why the hell aren’t you?!” Peter demanded, struggling to get himself under control.

Janine started crying. “I didn’t mean to do it. I took one pill, then after I still couldn’t sleep, I took two more. That’s all I had in the box. I just wanted to sleep, to be able to forget all this shit for a few hours.”

Egon rocked Janine in his arms slowly to help calm her down. 

Janine continued, “please, they’ll put me in the psych ward! PLEASE DONT MAKE ME GO!!”

She started sobbing hard, uncontrollably. Egon strokes her head and rubbed her back. 

“We won’t make you go, Janine,” he whispered to her. “You have the right to decline medical assistance.”

Peter went ballistic again. “EGON! What the fuck do you mean? She needs help!”

Egon remained calm but glared at Peter. 

“She does NOT have to go,” he slowly repeated.

Peter knew that look and tone of voice was Egonese for “what I say goes; cross me and die.”

So, Peter backed off; Ray agreed to keep Janine at home.

When the paramedics arrived just a few minutes later, Winston came barreling into the bedroom. “She’s in here!” He yelled.

He was then shocked but relieved to see Janine sitting up, Egon still holding her.

Egon looked at the paramedics. “Thank you Gentlemen, but we no longer need your services,” he said flatly.

The first paramedic asked, “we were told by dispatch that the young woman had overdosed?”

Egon calmly replied, “I’m sorry, there must have been some sort of miscommunication; she simply passed out; low blood sugar.”

The two paramedics looked at each other. 

The second one asked Janine directly, “ma’am, is this true? We need to hear it from you.”

Janine forced a smile and replied, “yeah, sorry for the mix up; I’m ok. I’m staying here.”

With that, the paramedics left. As soon as they were gone and the apartment door closed, Winston walked back to the bedroom quickly, his eyes mixed with anger and confusion.

“Alright, Missy. What the FUCK was that?!” They were all shocked at his outburst. Winston never uses language that bad. 

Janine started crying again. “They’re gonna put me in the psych ward if they took me to the hospital! I didn’t mean to overdose. I just wanted to sleep!” 

“You almost slept alright,” Winston chided. “Permanently!”

Janine broke down sobbing again. As Egon held her, he glared at both Peter and Winston.

“I have had enough of this! Janine doesn’t need your harsh words right now, she needs understanding and kindness,” Egon said harshly.

“And love,” whispered Ray. He had been quiet the entire time, hoping for the best and not wanting to get in the middle of all the drama.

Egon smiled at Ray. “Yes,” he agreed. “And love.”

Winston and Peter settled down.

“I’m sorry, Janine,” Winston apologized. “I was just scared, ya know?”

Janine had calmed down and gave Winston a soft smile. “Thanks, it’s ok.”

Peter was still upset but had calmed down considerably from before. He knelt down in front of Janine enough to be eye level with her. 

As he pointed his right index finger at her, he said sternly, “fine, I’m sorry too. But you’re getting some help, whether you want to or not. Otherwise, I’ll commit you to the psych ward myself!”

Janine smiled faintly and nodded. 

Egon asked her, “Janine, what has happened to bring about this behavior? I was under the impression you were doing well. I know your father’s passing was tough, then a few months later losing your uncle. But is it worth all of this?” He spoke tenderly.

Janine took a deep breath, trying to stop herself from her crying snubs. 

“It was better but not great. I hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep since my dad passed. And yeah, losing my uncle was rough. But yesterday evening, one of my girlfriends called, Monica? She told me that she just found out that her sister, my best friend, Michelle has been diagnosed with leukemia. They give her about two months. I just couldn’t take anymore death, or pain, or sickness. I just wanted to sleep and hoped that, when I woke up, it would all be ok again.”

All the guys shared a sad look, their hearts breaking for Janine’s news. She had certainly had her fair share of bad news. 

Ray stepped forward, taking her hands in his. 

“Well, you’ve got us to help you through this. You’re not alone,” Ray said softly.

“Absolutely,” Winston agreed, stepping forward and placing one of his hands on top of Ray’s.

“And you know you’ve got me, Red,” Peter said with a wink and a grin. He placed one of his hands on top of Winston’s. 

Egon was still holding Janine so he just gave her a soft kiss on her temple and said, “As will I.”

Janine smiled and happy tears ran down her cheeks, totally overwhelmed by the show of love and support from the men she treasured most in her life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please know that the mental health issues I address in this story is not meant to be poking fun at these issues. I’m trying to help people understand that some people have very stressful lives and it should be taken seriously.


	6. Moving On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janine learns to move forward with her life.

The next few weeks were difficult. Janine had been having sessions with Peter. With his help, she was able to let go of the pain caused by the death of her father and uncle. Peter helped her see that she still had people in her life that need her., mainly Egon. Her friend Michelle, who had been diagnosed with leukemia, had improved some with treatment, but her prognosis was still not good. But Peter assured Janine that, with his help, she would be able to face that when the time came.

It’s Friday night and Egon has made secret plans for him and Janine. He came downstairs a few minutes before 5:00 pm to catch her before she left.

Egon unintentionally snuck up on Janine; he moves through the Firehouse like a cat. When Janine turned around from closing the filing cabinet, she jumped out of her skin.

“Damnit Egon! Cough or something next time!” Janine said abruptly.

Egon smiled, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Janine giggled. “It’s ok. You’re just so quiet.”

She eyed Egon up and down, her eyes lingering in different areas, noticing he was dressed very nicely. She smiled seductively, a predatory look creeping across her face.

“And all dressed up? What are you up to?” She was practically drooling at this point.

Egon was dressed in a nice grey suit with matching jacket, light pink shirt with the top two buttons left open, showing off his neck. Janine has always thought his neck was sexy. She couldn’t wait to get him to her place. 

Egon, realizing Janine was counting down the seconds to when she could have her way with him, tried to maintain his composure. 

“I have a nice evening planned. Dinner, then a theatre show, if that’s alright with you?” Egon asked.

Janine smiled from one ear to the other. “Ooh! Do I have time to change first?”

Egon smiled. “You’ll find what you need in the second floor bathroom.”

Janine threw her arms around his neck. “Oh Egon, I cant believe you went through all this trouble!”

“It was no trouble. Your mother was very helpful in helping me pick out the dress,” Egon said.

Janine looked shocked. “You went shopping with my mom? I can’t believe it!”

Egon smiled. “Yes, well, she likes me..so..,” he trailed off giving his shoulders a slight shrug.

Janine grinned. “Yeah, and if you’ve won my mom over, you won’t have anything to worry about!”

Janine’s smile faded slightly.

Egon understood. “You’re thinking about your dad?”

“Yeah,” Janine replied. “But I know he already liked you; my mom’s the tough one.” She gave Egon a playful wink. “Let me go change.”

Peter passed Janine on the stairs. She ran past him so fast, it almost didn’t register that he saw her.

“Hey, slow down Big J!”

“Later Dr. V, gotta date!” Janine called out to Peter.

Peter smiled as he got to the bottom of the stairs, walking up to Egon.

“She’s in a good mood,” Peter said.

“I surprised her with a new dress and a date night,” Egon explained. 

“That’ll do it,” Peter replied. “So, we shouldn’t wait up, right?” he drawled, grinning devilishly.

Egon blushed and smiled. “I wouldn’t bother,” he said, a leer spreading across his face.

“You dog, you!” Peter said, slapping Egon’s shoulder. “You kids have fun. Don’t let Red take too much advantage of you,” Peter wiggles his eyebrows.

Janine came downstairs wearing the perfect little black dress with red pumps. She looked stunning. Winston and Ray had joined Peter and Egon downstairs. Their jaws dropped.

“Janine, you look gorgeous!” Ray gushed.

“Yeah, Girl. Egon’s gonna have to fight the other guys off tonight!” Winston said with a smile.

Egon held out his arm for Janine to take. “Gentlemen, we will see you later.”

“Not until Monday!” Peter called out. 

Janine flashed the guys a beautiful smile before leaving with Egon. 

The three Busters smiled. They knew that Janine would be ok from here on out.


End file.
